FUNDRAISING TIPS
Do you want to maximize your fundraising? Here are our top tips to help you reach your goal!
What to do after creating a fundraising page?
Here are some great tips from our partner - Classy
Start by making a donation to your own fundraising page. Other people are more likely to donate to your page when they see that someone has already contributed. Donating some of your own money also demonstrates to potential supporters that you are serious about helping the cause.
Personalize your fundraising page by adding your own text, pictures, or video. Remember, your potential donors will be interested in the cause, but they are primarily interested in you. Make sure you tell them why you are getting involved and what your connection to the cause is (it doesn’t have to be long).
Send individual emails to your five closest contacts and ask them for donations first. Getting your “inner circle” to donate to your page will help you build up some momentum.
If you haven't yet set up your personal fundraising page, head here.
FUNDRAISING TIPS
Reach out directly to your closest network
There is nothing more effective than a direct ask. Your closest ones will surely be excited to hear from you about the program that you volunteer at and will be happy to support you. Make sure to explain to them the work that All Hands and Hearts does, what disaster we respond to, which communities we assist. It's also good to mention your role in this and why this cause is close to your heart.
Finally, make a direct ask for a donation. If your friends or family aren't in the situation that allows them to donate, ask them to share your story and fundraising page on their social media or pass your message to their close networks instead. This will help you reach a wider audience.
You never know. It might have inspired someone to donate, join as a volunteer or even start a career in the humanitarian sector!
Updates & thank you's
You received a donation? Make sure to say thank you! Some contributions are anonymous, but if they are public, why not make a 'thank you' post on social media to show your appreciation? You can also message your donors directly or leave a comment under their donation on your fundraising page.
Keep your donors updated on the progress of your fundraising and the program. It will show them that their contribution truly makes a difference and that you still remember their gesture. Maybe they will even donate again after seeing the fantastic progress or decide to join you on a program!
Tips and tricks for writing a general email or personal message
Start by explaining your connection to the cause and why it's important to you; describing how it serves the communities affected by natural disasters and how it has touched your life is the most essential element of your message.
In a sentence or two, explain the good work AHAH is doing to advance the cause to help potential supporters understand the difference their donation will make.
Be clear about what you are looking for; make a direct ask for financial support.
Include a link to your fundraising page.
Thank your contacts for their time and support.
Always remember when you're writing to your contacts, just be yourself. If something feels forced or inauthentic, scrap it.
Share your volunteering story on social media
Almost everyone is on social media these days. Therefore, sharing regular posts about the program and writing a meaningful explanation of why you are so passionate about our work will be a great encouragement for your network to visit your fundraising page, possibly donate and/or maybe apply to be a volunteer! Almost 50% of all our volunteer applications come from alumni and direct referrals, so your social media posts really can make a difference!
Need some inspiration? Ask the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator on your program for help with writing a post or giving you access to pictures from the site. They are full of great ideas and are always happy to help.
Make a video
Personal videos with a direct ask and a simple explanation of our work go a very long way! Some volunteers shoot 'day in a life of a volunteer' videos. Others chose to film themselves explaining the reason behind assisting a particular community and dive deeper into the 'why' behind our work and fundraising.
Videos are one of the most engaging ways to get your network interested in the cause you support, and they also perform better on social media than photos or just text, so why not start with that?
Please refer to our ethical storytelling video, which will guide you on sharing stories from a program in a respectful and dignified way.
The Best Way to Use Social Media to Fundraise
Start fundraising on social after you have sent out your initial batch of emails.
Get started on Facebook by tagging the people that have already donated to you and thanking them for their donations.
When you tag someone, your post gets shared in your activity feed and the other person's activity feeds too. This also sets the mindset that people are already donating to your page—remember, success breeds success!
Set internal goals ($200 by the end of Week Two, $400 by Week Four, etc.).
Use your social media accounts to give updates on your progress towards each goal and ask for people to help you get over the next hurdle.
Don't make every post an "ask." Share inspiring news stories or other positive anecdotes about the cause, too!
Consider offering your own gifts to friends and family who help you reach your goal.
It doesn't have to be anything extravagant, just a token of your appreciation.
Be sure to tag All Hands and Hearts in each post, use photos when appropriate and use hashtags to reach a larger audience. Follow our guidelines here to link your Classy page directly with Facebook.
Facebook/Instagram: @AllHandsandHearts
Twitter: @AllHandsHearts
LinkedIn: @AllHandsandHearts
YouTube: All Hands and Hearts
Hashtags: #AllHandsandHearts,
Commit to a personal challenge
Together with 'give up month', personal challenges are some of the most exciting and preferred ways to fundraise for charities in 2021. This can be anything and everything: commit to run a half-marathon if you raise $2,000, walk 5k a day if you raise $1,000 or learn how to juggle if you raise $500 within 5 days. This is a fun and engaging way to encourage your network to donate to the cause that you advocate for.
If you are thinking about a challenge more specific to the AHAH work and you're feeling adventurous, why don't you cycle or walk the pathway of a hurricane that we respond to?
'Give up month'
Surprisingly (or not?), this has been one of the most popular ways to fundraise in 2021! How to use it? Commit to giving up eating sugar, drinking coffee, using social media or doing anything else for a month if you manage to fundraise $500, $1,000 or more in a short time. Your network would love to see you 'suffer' for a month for a good cause.
Keep yourself accountable and maybe even pay up $5 or $10 each time you break the promise. Also, remember to update your network regularly on how the fundraising and the challenge are going.
Christmas/holiday donations
Giving season is fast approaching, and this is one of the best times of the year to ask your close ones for a donation to your fundraising page. November through January is when many people celebrate Giving Tuesday, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year, and many others.
Encourage your network to make a donation in the name of their close ones or as a Christmas present for you. For example, if you're going to visit your family or friends after the program, you can offer to bring them small gifts from a place where you volunteer as a Christmas gift in exchange for a donation. Make the most of this giving period!
Birthday fundraiser
Is your birthday or any other significant anniversary approaching soon? Great! Asking for donations instead of presents or wishes is one of the most effective ways to encourage your closes ones to donate to your fundraising page.
If you choose to have a birthday fundraiser, make sure to name your fundraising page accordingly and explain to your network why AHAH is your charity of choice. Communicate about your birthday fundraiser on your social media and send direct messages to your close ones to maximize this fundraising opportunity.
Send postcards from the program
Everybody loves incentives! Why don't you offer your friends to send them a postcard from the program or the place where you're volunteering for every donation that they make? If you're up for that, you can even offer a bit bigger present for anyone who will donate $100 or more to your fundraising page. This would be a memorable way of acknowledgement and might help you reach your fundraising milestones even quicker.
Organise event an the base
We love to see our volunteers actively engage at the base! So, if you have an idea for a fundraising event, campaign or competition, let the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator on the program know. They will support you with whatever you need and will guide you on how to maximize your efforts.
Organizing your own event can be a great way to encourage fundraising at the base, motivate other volunteers to follow your example and engage your own network.
Check out the 'onion strategy'
Think about your fundraising strategy, like peeling an onion from the inside out. The best fundraisers start by asking their closest contacts first (the core) and progressively working outward to more distant contacts (the outer skin).
Studies show as you make progress towards your fundraising goal, people become more likely to donate to you. So when you start with your closest contacts and work outwards, you ensure you build up progress from your core supporters before you reach out to the people who are less likely to donate. This means maximizing your chances of successfully meeting (or exceeding) your goal!
A good starting point usually looks something like this:
Day One Email/Message #1: Send to 10 very close contacts (family and your closest friends).
Day Two Email/Message #2: Send to 10-50 close contacts (your entire circle of good friends).
Day Three Email/Message #3: Send to as many other contacts you feel comfortable sending a message to (co-workers, friends of friends, distant relatives, etc.).
Day Four Promote on your social media channels. Don't be afraid to send follow up emails and messages! Your close friends and family won't mind hearing from you a few times.
Do you need some more inspiration?
Watch this TEDx talk by Kara Logan Berlin. We promise you won't regret it!
Key takeaway:
'When you do this [fundraising], remember, you're not asking for yourself. You're asking on behalf of all of the people you serve (...). This isn't a personal favor, right? Feel proud of the ask -- it's incredible that you do this work.' - Kara Logan Berlin
WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE FEELING STUCK?
Fundraising does not always go according to plan but don't worry! We're here to help!
We all have different outreach and networks, so getting that first donation or reaching your goal might be more challenging for some than the others. Don't get discouraged. Many people feel the same at the beginning and become successful fundraisers.
Remember why are you doing this. Know that everything you do, every hour you work and every dollar you raise makes a difference! We all have different reasons for volunteering and fundraising, but ultimately we are all here for the communities that we serve.
Whenever you run out of ideas, refer back to this guide or ask the on-program Volunteer Engagement Coordinator for support, they are always full of ideas!
Ask your network for small donations. Not everybody can donate $20, $50 or $100, and that’s okay. Let people know that even a $1 or $5 makes a big difference when we all chip in!
Post regularly about the program and keep people updated on the progress that is being made. When people notice your dedication and commitment, they will become more likely to support your cause.
Still nothing? Don’t worry. Nothing goes in vain. By sharing your experience and the story of people affected by natural disasters, you advocate for the cause. Your friends and family are not only potential donors but might also become advocates themselves or even decide to join one of our programs in the future. Therefore, continue spreading the word!